All Over Albany

The week ahead

Here are a few things to keep in mind, look ahead to, or keep busy with this week -- from the weather (headed the wrong way), to a new year, to Islam and Christianity, to William Kennedy, to Cirque, to design, to digital art, to all sorts of music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast:

Monday: "Patchy, dense fog" in the morning. Otherwise, sunny and 80.

Tuesday: Cloudy. Chance of rain, especially in the evening. Highs in the upper 70s.

Wednesday: Cloudy. Rain with possible thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70s.

Thursday: Shower-y, but also some sun. Highs in the low 70s.

Friday: Cloudy, cooler. Highs in the mid 60s.

Weekend: Sunny and cools. Highs in the low 60s.

Well, it is late September.

Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and one of the holiest holidays in Judaism, starts at sundown on Wednesday. It's traditional to wish people a good year around the holiday.

Arts and Sciences

+ Journalist Eliza Griswold will be at UAlbany Tuesday as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series. Her most recent book is The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam, "the fifteen-hundred year story of how these two great faiths have come to intersect--and interact." 8 pm at Assembly Hall in the Campus Center - free

+ Art historian James Elkins will be at EMPAC Wednesday evening talking about the way images are interpreted across different academic fields, "arguing that it is possible to consider images in various fields without using tropes from the humanities or social sciences as explanatory tools--in other words, by letting the different disciplines speak in their own languages." 6 pm - free

William Kennedy, Chango, and Prohibition

William Kennedy's new book, Chango's Beads and Two-Tone Shoes, is officially released this Thursday. A few early (short) reviews: Kirkus, Publishers Weekly. Kennedy will be signing books at Brown's Brewing Friday evening -- and there will also a screening of William Kennedy's Prohibition Story that night at Revolution Hall (you have to RSVP for the screening by the end of Monday -- it's free).

(Kennedy will also be appearing at Writers Institute event next Monday, October 3.)

Cirque Du Solei

The Cirque Du Solei show "Quidam" starts a five-day run at the Times Union Center Wednesday. $30.50 and up

Adventures in motion

The onedotzero series is back at EMPAC Thursday with two screenings. Citystates 10 is "an eclectic series of filmic responses to urban environments and fast-paced city living." Robotica is "touches on the ethics, social effects, and pure fun of a world shared with robots or androids." Citstates at 7 pm, Robotica at 9 pm - $6 each

Also: Proctors is showing a new restoration of Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin Monday evening with a live organ accompaniment. 7 pm - $10 ahead / $12 at door

Design

Much respected designer Michael Bierut will be giving a talk at St. Rose Friday night. The exhibit "Michael Bierut 30 Years 90 Notebooks" recently opened at the Massry Gallery there. Bierut is a partner at the famed design firm Pentagram. He's worked with a long list of well-known clients (example: The Atlantic redesign, the New York Times building sign, the Saks shopping bag.). He co-founded Design Observer. And In 2006 he received the AIGA Medal, the highest award in the design field. 7 pm (gallery reception at 5 pm) - free

Wired Kingdom

Wired Kingdom, a week-long gallery show of digital media and electronic music, opens at the Arts Center of the Capital Region Monday. There will be a showcase during Troy Night Out Friday night.

Local Harvest Festival

The Local Harvest Festival is this Sunday in Albany's Washington Park. A bunch of local producers will be there. Also: music from Matthew Carefully and Olivia Quillio. 11 am-3 pm

Music

Monday: Drag the River at Valentine's
Punk Rock Monday. With Lenny Lashley, The Slaughterhouse Chorus. 8 pm - $10

Tuesday: The Avett Brothers at Brewery Ommegang
With Brandi Carlile, Nicole Atkins. Apparently you can camp there, too. 8 pm - $40-$50

Tuesday: Primus at The Palace
Maybe you, too, can sail the seas of cheese with pork soda. 8 pm - $29.50 and up

Friday: Elephant Revival at Red Square
A "neo-acoustic quintet" playing "transcendental folk." With: Sunny Side of the Street Band. 8 pm - $10 ahead / $12 day of

Friday: Sam Roberts Band at Northern Lights
Maybe you saw them at Tulip Fest. With: Pillowhead, Zeus. 8 pm - $10 ahead / $12 day of

Friday: Solid Smoke at The Linda
Motown funky. 8 pm - $20

Saturday: Keb' Mo' at The Egg
Blues guitar. 8 pm - $29.50 and $34.50

Saturday: Makana at Universal Preservation Hall
"Master Hawaiian slack key guitarist." 8 pm - $20 ahead / $25 at the door

Saturday: Capital Underground Live at The Linda
"Ralph Renna's Capital Underground Live comes to The Linda for an evening that will feature some of the area's newest and most creative local musicians." 7 pm - $10 ahead / $12 at door

Sunday: Madeleine Peyroux and Nellie McKay at The Egg
Two ladies who sound like they might be in the wrong decade(s). In a good way. 7 pm - $24.50 and up

These are a just a few things for this week. Know of something people should be looking forward to this week? Please share!

Look for our "Stuff to do this weekend" post on Friday.

AOA is a media sponsor of the Local Harvest Festival

Madeleine Peyroux photo: Madeleine Peyroux website
King Donkey Kong: Patrick Jean
Michael Bierut: Christian Witkin